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Canada Law Poker Terminology

To understand how Canadian law sees poker, we need to understand Canada Law poker terminology. And this is how the law in Canada talks about poker in general.

Canada law sees nothing wrong with people playing poker against each other, as long as there's no casino or betting house that controls poker sessions and reaps profits from them. These are poker sessions held in private places, unannounced to the public, no entrance fess, no house odds, and no house dealers. These places are Common or ordinary wagering houses. So when the poker game is just a past time, even with some betting, Canada law poker terminology identifies it as a common wagering house.

With a third party introduced---the host---Canada law poker terminology calls this a common or ordinary amusement house. It is where gamblers play poker against a host or a house or casino. Even a home or room used for similar purposes---poker and gambling---it is still called an ordinary amusement or gaming house. The host manages everything in the gambling venue and gets or collects a portion of the profits for whatever expense incurred in the maintenance.

What Canadian law especially dislikes are the disorderly or dirty venues. These are places used for poker and other gambling games and for prostitution as well. Canada law sees poker, gambling, and prostitution often working as a team for wicked vices.

Poker as a whole, with all its rules, table policies, house rules, strategies and procedures is termed as simply the "game." So when Canadian law mentions "game," it refers to the whole workings and gamut of the game of poker, not just the session or the venue.

What Canadian law refers to as "keeper" is the person responsible for the operation of the venue and sessions. Such person may either be the actual owner of the house, casino, or property where poker sessions are being held, or the assistant of or manager of the owner. Dealers are different from keepers. Dealers manage tables. They do not have a say on the whole establishment the way keepers do.

There are not much problems on being a dealer or keeper of ordinary wagering or amusement houses, as long as everything is within the limits of the law. But what does pose a big problem is when one is the "onus" of a poker or gambling venue. An onus owns or manages a disorderly or dirty house.

Canada delimits certain aspects of poker, and it is best understood through it's terminology.